While never being the most explosive band, Green Turns To Red, Then Turns To Gold is a continuation of that methodically paced, slow burning tempo set that Departures seems to be carving their niche into. Two songs provided in a humble 7” that displays a handful of interesting ideas, a hint of maturation, and a dash of progression for good flavor. A fitting offering for a band whose debut album has landed them several higher profile tours within a year. Sliding into the same sonic battery of When Losing Everything…, opening song and A-side “Those Miles Meant Everything” feature a simplistic rhythm pattern repeated throughout the entire song and a slight guitar lead reminiscent to cousin band More Than Life, yet subtle nods to previous acts like Beloved. The mood of the band seems to be much more somber, nothing too destructive outside of a closing breakdown which is slowed down as well, and featuring almost none of some of the hurried up mentality of debut Escaping. James Mckean’s vocals have massively improved all throughout, reining in his delivery for a much more guttural and powerful display of frontmanship.

Green Turns To Red... ends with the equally methodic track “Fuck Living With Sadness”, that continues the simplistic rhythm of the previous track; this time with a much more obvious nod to modern English hardcore that seems to be popular in today’s market. Once again, Mckeans desperate vocals lead the charge, just barely hinged onto cohesion while the band responds to in kind. The song climaxes with a soft acoustic bit, before erupting into an outro/breakdown, as if leaving the EP with a sense of curiosity as to where Departures will continue to go from here. While the ideas of Green Turns To Red, Then Turns To Gold might be somewhat rehashed, it provides enough hints of progression and maturation that one can’t help but wonder just what these five young men have in store for us in the future. The Smiths of hardcore prove to us that some of the best hardcore isn’t always found through chaos, but is sometimes best served by putting emotions front and center and letting that do the destruction.